Just heard from Mike Hawthorne who was racing in Belgium over last weekend. At his first race last year after fitting one of the new steering heads he broke the track record for his class at one track in Belgium. Last weekend he did the same at another track and apparently knocked four seconds off the previous best time. Congratulations.
FF: Forks Modified Steering Stem
- Thread starter greg brillus
- Start date
It's not me fading away it's your maths, I never quoted 300lbs, I always said 20 stone.
Ah, now my secret is out, a maths duffer. I will go and sit in the corner.
I've done a number rides now on the same route, a couple of miles on an A road, around 20 or so on N. Yorks B roads, humps, bumps and recessed manhole covers, but no severe potholes. It does have the sleeping policemen I mentioned before. Speeds from 20 to 70ish. I measured the suspension travel as tabulated below. The bike is a SeriesD with the steering stem mod plus lower link sealed bearings and Chinese steering damper although the damper pivots on it's centre line unlike Norman's set up. This makes no difference to the suspension travel but I do have it set at its mid point. I have not shortened my spring boxes and have 44 lbs/ins springs one of which has a couple coils removed. I weigh 210 lbs kitted up for riding.
With me on the bike, the front of the lower link is 10mm above the rear measured through the centrelines of the spindles. The guy who measured it doesnt do inches.
With me on the bike, the front of the lower link is 10mm above the rear measured through the centrelines of the spindles. The guy who measured it doesnt do inches.
Thanks for that Mac. Do you find the bike comfortable or is the front still too stiff for you? Sorry if I am being dense but do I understand that you are only getting two and five sixteenths minus one and a quarter inch movement while riding? i.e. less than one inch of movement. If so then that is not enough and either you need softer springs or a lighter setting on the damper. Please correct me if I have misunderstood the figures.
I didnt measure the suspension travel before I did the mod so I have no objective data for that but the front end was quite compliant then. I did post, with Big Eds help, a video at the time. At that time the bike had standard D single springs in each spring box.
These measurements are compression only using 3 tie wraps, one on the damper and one on each spring box so I cant measure rebound from static sag with me riding the bike.
The bike is comfortable to ride and the links rise at the rear appreciably under acceleration. Prior to the mod, it was not possible to compress the front end by pushing down on the bars with the brake applied but it is easy to do that now. You can see that there is more damper movement with the longer eyebolts and it is easy to pull the bars up when astride the bike whereas with the short eyes this was impossible.
These measurements are compression only using 3 tie wraps, one on the damper and one on each spring box so I cant measure rebound from static sag with me riding the bike.
The bike is comfortable to ride and the links rise at the rear appreciably under acceleration. Prior to the mod, it was not possible to compress the front end by pushing down on the bars with the brake applied but it is easy to do that now. You can see that there is more damper movement with the longer eyebolts and it is easy to pull the bars up when astride the bike whereas with the short eyes this was impossible.
If you would like to try a pair of 36 lbs/inch springs then I can send you a pair. If you prefer them then they will be £30 plus P&P. If you don't then send them back with no charge. I would like to see more movement.